The Red Electric

From 1915 to 1928, the interurban Red Electric train passed through Hillsdale, now part of Portland. The trip offered a chance for passengers to share their views. My Red Electric blog is a vehicle for web travelers to do the same.

This just in: Americans are an "invented people"

Certainly native Americans have every reason to consider the rest of us "invented people." We invented "Americans" out of whole revolutionary cloth, declaring ourselves a nation in the process.

Said nation then invented new expanding borders by presumably "dis-inventing" native populations and inventing the "Indian people."

What about applying Newt's "invention" notion to individuals? Who invented you, or me, or, for that matter, Newt?

Or do WE "invent" ourselves. Some have even been known to re-invent themselves. Shocking as it seems, I've even heard that said of Newt himself.

Newt is clearly playing to the Jewish vote with the idea of Palestinians inventing themselves, but this might also be a stealth effort to pull in "intelligent design" Fundamentalists.

Did the "intelligent designer" (and you just know who that would be) invent us? Could Newt be inventing a prophetic politician with "deeply held religious convictions" just in time for the Iowa caucuses.

Then again, with his remarks drawing mounting criticism, Newt could do some serious backpedalling in the days ahead.

I can hear his raspy voice now: "Well, of course the Palestinians are an 'invented people.' But aren't we all? I intended no offense by singling them out. That's just the way things are."

About Me

I'm a semi-retired journalist and former college teacher of journalism. Much of my time is devoted to volunteering in my Portland neighborhood of Hillsdale. As a Quaker, I am active in Hillsdale Quakers and in the Multnomah Friends Meeting.